Message from the Co-Chairs of the SpaceOps Organization

The co-chairs of the SpaceOps Organization cordially invite you to the 13th SpaceOps Conference in Pasadena, California, 5–9 May 2014.

SpaceOps 2014 will be hosted by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The program will feature engaging plenary sessions as well as numerous technical sessions covering all aspects of space mission operations, and will be complemented by an exhibition inside the conference facility and by the presentation of the SpaceOps Organization Awards at the California Science Center, home of the space shuttle Endeavour. Opening and closing keynote addresses will complete a very stimulating week.

SpaceOps 2014: Explore Innovation!

The premier technical and management forum of the international space operations community, the SpaceOps Conference addresses state-of-the-art operations principles, methods, and tools. Held biennially since 1990, it attracts technologists, scientists, managers, and other experts from space agencies, commercial space operators, academia, space industry, and defense organizations across the globe. SpaceOps fosters managerial and technical interchange on all aspects of space operations and systems, including robotic and human missions. Over 650 delegates attended SpaceOps 2012, representing more than 30 counties, and presented some 300 technical papers.

In the past two years the international space community has experienced many breakthrough space missions, which have contributed greatly to global exploration, science and commerce. A few highlights include the order of magnitude faster rendezvous of Soyuz for a manned flight to ISS, development and execution of exciting new science and exploration missions to asteroids and Mars by diverse international agencies, the deployment of new global navigation satellite systems, and the initiation of commercial cargo services to low Earth orbit. All of these important events have been enabled through international interoperability and required the space operations community to innovate through insertion of new technologies. The space operations community now faces the added challenge of managing the risk of increasingly complex systems and addressing daunting reliability and security issues while doing more with less. The space operations innovations in all of these important space mission events and many others will be covered in detail in SpaceOps 2014.

SpaceOps 2014 provides a unique opportunity for you to share your experiences, challenges, and innovative solutions with colleagues from around the globe, and take home new ideas and new connections. Be it scientific, commercial, education or defense applications, space or ground segments, the space operations community greatly values, and benefits from, collaboration and sharing of ideas. With over ten diverse topic areas, including a new topic reflecting the growing importance of small satellites, SpaceOps 2014 offers a comprehensive view on global space operations covering the activities of governments, industry, and academia.

We look forward to welcoming you in May 2014 for a thought-provoking and innovative exchange of ideas and concepts. Join us in Pasadena, and take an active role in SpaceOps 2014, as we Explore Innovation!